Great news that Susanne (from Findhorn) has received the lamp transmission at Plum Village and is now a  Dharmacharya (Dharma Teacher/Carrier). Also pictured is Dene Donalds who just received the lamp and is based in Lancaster. Wonderful to see the Sangha continuation and growth.

Our friends in the Border Collie Sangha are running a summer retreat at Wiston Lodge, Nr Biggar, South Lanarkshire, ML12 6HT

When we practice mindfulness, we naturally become attuned to the planet.
We are able to listen to ourselves and each other with mindfulness and compassion,
we increase our ability to listen to our planet. Practicing compassionate listening to the Earth, we hear that the planet desperately needs us to reconnect with the Earth and with each other. There is no difference between healing ourselves and healing the Earth.

From Love Letter to the Earth by Thich Nhat Hanh

You are warmly invited to join us at our summer retreat from June 9^th to June 12^th 2016 guided by Br Phap Vu an American monastic, in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. We will gather as a Sangha of all ages to support our practice of Mindfulness together.

Wiston Lodge with its extensive grounds and natural environment, merging upwards to Tinto Hill, gives us the opportunity to deepen our awareness of Interbeing with Nature and with one another. The doors are wide open for our Wake Up friends, and we hope that everyone young and old will feel nourished and enriched through the explorations of the practice.

Through our time together, we will explore the power of the teachings of the Five Mindfulness Trainings in our personal lives and in society.

For more information contact:
Meg Beresford on meg.beresford@gn.apc.org or 07835 362 774
Paul Dear info@tintomusicandarts.org 0796123890

Border Collie Retreat Booking Form

Location of Wiston Lodge

Breathing: Our way to freedom (Part One)

This session will provide a basic introduction to Thich Nhat Hanh’s interpretation of the first 8 breathing exercises in the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing translated from the Chinese. The first four breathings centre on the body and the second four breathings centre on feelings. These exercises help us to bring our mind home to our body, relax our body, cultivate joy and happiness and take care of our emotions. 

We will explore and practice these teachings together using guided meditation, tea meditation, readings and discussion. We will also enjoy a mindful lunch together. Please bring a little vegetarian food to share. Tea will be provided.

The session will be facilitated by Pete and will run between 9:30am – 1:30pm at St Marks Unitarian Church, Castle Terrace.

When: Saturday 16th April 2016 9:30am to 1:30pm
Where: St Marks Unitarian Church. See map below.
Booking: Just turn up. (Optionally confirm on Facebook event page)
Cost: By donation. Suggested £5/£10 but more or less is fine (we don’t look at what people put in!)
Bring: Small amount of vegetarian food to share at lunch. Cushions, mats and chairs are supplied but if you have a meditation cushion or stool you like to use please bring it along.
Questions: Please contact us through the form.

Jointly organised by the Edinburgh International Centre for Spirituality and Peace, EICSP, Scottish Charity, SC038996, and the Edinburgh Sangha of the Community of Interbeing.

Venue: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, John Hope Gateway, Arboretum Place, Edinburgh, EH3 5NZ.
Date: Sunday 13 March 2016.
Time: 9.30am-11am, meet at West Gate entrance to the John Hope Gateway, Arboretum Place, at 9.30am. (Introduction to mindful walking at 9.45am and walk begins at 10am). No access from East Gate.
Cost: Admission Free. Just come along on the day.

This silent walking meditation is an open event. It will be led by the lay members of the Edinburgh Sangha of the Community of Interbeing, who follow the practice and teachings of Zen Buddhist Master, Thich Nhat Hanh. The walk begins at the John Hope Gateway of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Before the walk begins there will be a brief introduction to mindful walking as meditation practice. This is not a protest or a campaigning event, so please do not use any banners. Children are welcome when accompanied by adults. Please remember to wrap up warmly.

‘We walk just for walking. We walk with freedom and solidity, no longer in a hurry. Let us enjoy every step we make.’

Thich Nhat Hanh.

Some of us from Edinburgh were able to enjoy a wonderful retreat with the North of Scotland Sanghas at Newbold House in Forres last weekend. The retreat was entitled “Love, Joy, Compassion & Equanimity in a Fearful World”. Pictured are a few a of the Bodhisttavas of Forres.

On Saturday the 19th March our friends at the Bluebell sangha will be hosting a day of Mindfulness in the Village Hall, Cockburnspath, Berwickshire. 

The day will start at 9.30 and finish at 4. Lunch and beverages will be provided and there is no charge to attend but a suggested donation of 8 pounds to cover costs will be gratefully received. 

The theme of our day will be “Living without stress or fear” and will include mindful sitting, walking, movement, drinking tea/coffee, eating, listening and sharing and we will be taking advantage of our location surrounded by beautiful woods and birdlife with views of the sea. 

We will also be listening to extracts of dharma talks given by Thay. 

It promises to be a lovely day practicing and learning together.

To register interest in attending, please drop Peter and Elspeth Davey an email on: Peter.davey@btinternet.com

Our Thursday evening meetings will continue as usual from this Thursday (7th January) at 7:30 at St Marks.

Here are some of the other wonderful opportunities to deepen our practice in Scotland this year:

Thursday 4th to Sunday 7th February – Love, Joy, Compassion & Equanimity in a Fearful World. The Community of Interbeing Sanghas in the North of Scotland. North of Scotland 2016 Retreat Advert Application Form 2

Sunday 22nd to Wednesday 25th May – Non Residential Retreat with Sister Annabel and other monastics. Glasgow Sangha. Sister Annabel Info Sheet PDF.

Thursday 2nd to Monday 5th June – Retreat with Br. Phap Vu at Edzell in the Angus. Details to follow.

Thursday 9th to Monday 12th June – Retreat with Br. Phap Vu at Wiston Lodge in the Borders. Details to follow.

Sometime in November – Organised by Edinburgh Wild Geese with your help. There is a lot on at the beginning of the year so we thought we might organise something towards the end of the year. If you would like to come on retreat in the autumn please let one the facilitators know so we can get an idea of numbers.

Mindfulness Mornings – These proved very popular in 2015 and we hope to organise a few through the year. Details will be posted here. Again if you have any thoughts please let one of us know.

A morning of Mindfulness led by Janelle Combelic on Saturday 12th December.

Nonfear is the basis of true happiness, and if you can offer nonfear to someone, you are giving that person the best kind of gift.

— Thich Nhat Hanh (2012)
Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm

Fear separates us; love unites us. Dealing directly with our fears can open the doorway to love. Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh teaches us to use the energy of mindfulness to embrace our fear, the power of concentration to understand it, and the grace of insight to transform it. “Nonfear” does not mean that we’re not afraid; it means that we acknowledge our fear, calm it, and choose the way of compassion.

We all face fear every day: fears big and small, individual and collective. Fear has been part of the human experience forever — fear is essential to survival and hard-wired into our brains. But in the 21st century it seems that a tidal wave of terror is sweeping over the earth. We live in a time of immense transition, when the old structures of society are crumbling and the new has yet to appear. As theologian Walter Wink wrote in The Powers That Be, we are coming to the end of a 10,000-year-old domination system and “we may be the first generation in the history of the world that can make a conscious choice between these world views” or in essence, to choose between fear and love.

During this half-day together we will study a teaching from Thich Nhat Hanh and then have a chance to look deeply at some of our own fears, calling on the power of mindfulness, concentration and insight to transmute fear into love and joy.

Love and fear form the great opposites of the world. Love can even transform the Earth into the substance of love. The whole evolution of the Earth and of human beings points in the direction of their fulfilment through this mighty force, the only force that can subdue the ravages of fear.

— Robert Sardello (2001)
Freeing the Soul from Fear

Janelle Combelic is a therapeutic storyteller, poet, and teacher trained in transpersonal psychology. In 2006 she was ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh into the Order of Interbeing and in 2010 she moved from Colorado to the Findhorn community in Scotland, where she has led workshops on women’s sexuality, storytelling, and forgiveness.

When: Saturday 12th December 2015 9:30am to 1:30pm
Where: Salisbury Centre,  2 Salisbury Rd, Edinburgh EH16 5AB. Just opposite the Commonwealth Pool. See map below.
Booking: Just turn up. (Say you are coming on FaceBook if you like)
Cost: By donation. Suggested £5/£10 but more or less is fine (we don’t look at what people put in!)
Bring: Small amount of vegetarian food to share at lunch. Cushions, mats and chairs are supplied but if you have a meditation cushion or stool you like to use please bring it along.
Questions: Please contact us through the form.

Key to our practice of Interbeing is respect and love for mother earth.

Climate change, caused by our actions, is doing great damage to the planet and is threatening the lives and well-being of many species as well as the poor and marginalised of our own species.  We need to learn ways to live in greater harmony.

An important meeting of world leaders is taking place in Paris over the first few weeks of December. Plum Village has suggested that we take action. As part of this a few of us will be attending the Scotland’s Climate March on 28th November. This is a family friendly march from the Meadows in Edinburgh (meet at Middle Meadow Walk) down to the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens. There will be a church service beforehand and a banner/music making then entertainment in Princes Street gardens. It will be over by 3pm. See the Stop Climate Chaos site for more info or the associated FaceBook event page.

This event is supported by many organisations such as Oxfam, the Scottish Episcopalians, Church of Scotland, Eco-Congregation, Quakers, etc.

We haven’t organised anything formal yet we just hope to go along and add some peaceful solidarity. If you’d like to be sure to meet up in a possibly very large crowd we could arrange something at our next Thursday night or through our FaceBook page.

Thầy Pháp Dung has put out a call to action on behalf of the International Plum Village Community over the up coming the Paris Climate Summit. You can read the full text below or on the Plum Village website here. This, along with the recent tragic events in France, mean that Paris is likely to be at the forefront of our thoughts and practice over the next few weeks.

There is a climate march in Edinburgh on Saturday 28th November (not 29th as suggested below) which some of us are intending to go on. If we organise anything more formal as a group then details will appear here.

The day after the climate talks (Saturday 12th December) we have one of our regular mindfulness mornings. Details will appear here shortly.

Plum Village Call to Action

To All Plum Village Practice Centers,
To All Order of Interbeing Members,
To All Our Sanghas World-wide,
To Our Dear Beloved Friends,

To support the upcoming Paris Climate Summit (COP21) and in solidarity with the Global Buddhist Climate Change Collective, One Earth Sangha, Plum Village Earth Holder Sangha, and faith communities around the world, we are calling on the International Plum Village Community to gather and send our spiritual energy to Mother Earth and to international political leaders, so that they may have the courage, clarity, and compassion to come to a wise and responsible agreement.

As a global community we have the technology, we have the opportunity, and what we need now is the political and collective will and spiritual courage to act decisively to change course.

We invite our Sanghas to come together to breathe, sit, and walk mindfully for the Earth, and generate a powerful collective energy of mindfulness and compassion. This powerful collective energy is our spiritual offering to the Paris Climate Summit and the highest form of prayer for our precious planet.

Here are actions we can take as a community:

1. Join a March: On Sunday November 29th we invite you to gather as a Sangha and join a Global Climate March in a town or city near you. We can contribute to the Climate March our collective energy of peace and stillness, enjoying every step with freedom and deep connection to the Earth. You can find a march near you or create an event of your own.

2. Fast from meat and dairy for two weeks: For the duration of the Paris Climate Summit, from November 30th to December 11th, we invite you to fast from meat and dairy products. You can come together as a sangha to eat a vegan meal “potluck-style” or as a family in your home. Eating in this way nourishes our energy of compassion, and we can send this energy to support the Paris negotiations. As we eat our meal, we may enjoy moments of silence to cherish the food and nourish our gratitude and appreciation for the Earth. You may like to practice The Five Contemplations.

3. Wear a Green Ribbon: For these two weeks, from November 30th to December 11th, we invite you to wear a green ribbon in order to raise awareness, amongst those around you, of our collective practice of mindfulness and compassion in solidarity with the Earth during this time.

4. Get Together: We encourage you to attend a sangha gathering near you, and to read from Thầy’s books Love Letter to the Earth and The World We Have. Raising awareness in our sanghas promotes collective awakening in society. You may also like to join gatherings and vigils organised by our brothers and sisters in other faith traditions and climate action groups, and offer your presence, peace, compassion and support.

5. Make a Commitment: We encourage you to reflect on your lifestyle and consider making a personal commitment with concrete actions to reduce your environmental impact. Tell those you live with or your local sangha what you plan to do (or refrain from doing), and ask for their support.

When we meditate together and walk mindfully together, we amplify the power of our mindfulness, concentration and compassion. This strong energy of collective awareness will be felt in the world. It has the power to re-establish the Earth’s equilibrium and restore balance, since we are nothing less than Mother Earth herself. Our actions will lead to collective insight, collective awakening, and collective change.

We do not know what the outcome of the Summit will be. But we determine our future by the way we live the present moment, and the way we live our daily life. Our awareness and compassion, and our love for the Earth will extend far beyond December’s Summit.